April 22: HIS POINT OF VIEW
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”’” Revelation 3:1
Sardis, located just 30 miles southeast of Thyatira, is the next stop on the mail route. In church chronology, it symbolizes a half-hearted effort to make an exit from the massive errors that had entered the Dark Ages church. The condition of the church at Sardis at the time of this letter from Jesus is a foreshadowing that reveals an underlying attitude of smug self-satisfaction.
Today, Sardis is only an archaeological site featuring the ruins of the temple of the goddess Cybele (a.k.a. Artemis) who “hosted” eunuch priests, and also the ruins of what had been the largest Jewish synagogue of the first century. Some six centuries prior, Sardis was the capital of Lydia, ruled by the very wealthy King Croesus. But by the Roman era, the city had long since lost its prestige. Yet they cultivated a heady atmosphere of feigned prestige, resting upon material wealth and a worldly reputation of by-gone days.
The seven stars are the church leaders that Jesus ‘holds’ in His right hand (Revelation 1:16,20). The phrase seven Spirits of God expresses God’s Spirit in its fullness. God is Spirit, often symbolized by fire and/or oil. He is all-powerful, all-seeing, and all-knowing (2 Chronicles 16:9; John 4:24; Revelation 4:5; 5:6).
The church in Sardis was buzzing with activity, generating a reputation for liveliness: “you have a name that you are alive . . .” Frenetic church activity is mistaken by many Christians as good works for Jesus. But if God’s Spirit is not the power behind an activity-laden calendar, the end result will be fruitlessness and exhaustion: “. . . but you are dead.” From the Lord’s point of view, a spiritual lack of life is a preventable tragedy.
The church in Sardis had a familiarity with the truth of the Gospel. But evidently, they were quite comfortable with sin, while lacking in a familiarity with the essential element of repentance leading to regeneration. The question then becomes: what in this fallen world are they doing with the truth? Anything at all? The Holy Spirit of God wants to come in to this church, but He will not come in where He is not wanted.
Already, in the opening verse of the letter to Sardis, the tone of Jesus’ words is alarming. Two of the most precious resources from the Lord are time and energy. Let us be thoughtful not to squander these resources. A total reliance upon the Spirit of God is the only way.
In my prayer life, I need to remember that the purpose of communion with God is not to demand answers to my questions or “fixes” for my problems, but to gain a fresh hold upon Him! It is His opinion that matters. It is His point of view that I need to gain. Without His leading, I will die.
For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live.” Amos 5:4